Glassboro softball builds early lead, holds off Woodstown

GLASSBORO — The Glassboro High School softball team was unable to dig out of a four-run, first-inning hole in its first game against Woodstown last month.

In the second meeting between the two schools on Wednesday, the roles were reversed.

This time it was the Wolverines who failed to overcome a large deficit after the first inning in an 8-6 loss to the Bulldogs in a Tri-County Diamond Division game.

“It was really good to get the early lead. We are such a good team this year and we are coming out to play more,” said Bulldog Ashley Rey, who went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the fifth. “We are getting ready for the playoffs and just were ready to hit the ball at the start of the game.”

In the first game on April 14, the Wolverines scored four runs in the first inning and then hung on for a 4-2 victory. In the rematch, the Wolverines struck first with a run in the opening frame but the Bulldogs answered with four, highlighted by Ashley Covely’s two-run double, in the bottom half of the first – a lead they never relinquished.

The Bulldogs tacked on two more in the third behind Jennifer Hopkins two-run homer — her first of the year — to build an 6-1 lead.

“I felt the team was really pumped up a lot today,” said Hopkins, who added an RBI sacrifice in the first and drove in three runs on the afternoon. “We couldn’t do it without everyone contributing, though. We fed off of each other and it was a great start to the game.”

However, it was not an easy day. The Wolverines got back into the game with a four-run fourth. Lauren Major, Bryanna Roberts and Alexis Pierce each had RBI singles while Maddie Clarke knocked in a run with a sac fly.

Smart base running provided the Bulldogs with an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth as Maciana Mazzeo stole third and scored on an errant throw to third. The teams traded runs in the fifth but some base running miscues in the fifth and sixth stifled other rallies.

“I think we came close ad knew we could come back,” said the Wolverines Megan McCurdy. “We didn’t get the key hits when we needed them. They got a couple more runs on our mistakes and we couldn’t pull through.”

Both teams have a regular season game on Friday but it will no doubt be difficult to concentrate on it with the NJSIAA South Jersey playoffs opening just 24 hours later. Brackets were released on Wednesday and the Wolverines received the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Deptford in Group II. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs landed the No. 12 seed and will travel to No. 5 Schalick.

“We are excited for the playoffs to start and want to get rolling and get going,” said McCurdy, whose team owns 12-2 and 8-1 wins over the Spartans this season. “We are familiar (with Deptford) but we can’t look past them because of our two games against them this year. We still need to play our game."

Schalick beat Glassboro, 7-2, last Friday and 11-1 early last month.

“I think our team is ready to play them again,” Hopkins said. “We just played them the other day and I think we saw them a lot and it should be a good game. I am really excited to play them and I would pick them for a first-round game. It’s going to be a good game.”